Bald eagle rescued after eating rat poison in Massachusetts

ARLINGTON, Mass. (WWLP) — A well-documented bald eagle in eastern Massachusetts was in critical condition Monday after it was believed to have ingested rat poison.

The female bald eagle, known as MK, was found on the ground in an Arlington cemetery, weak and unable to fly away after what exam results later suggested was anticoagulant rodenticide poisoning, the New England Wildlife Center said in a Facebook post.

The center said such poisoning happens when a raptor eats a rodent that has ingested poison itself.

The center, which described MK as "unable to get significant lift off the ground after many attempts to fly away," said the bird was taken to its Cape Cod hospital.